EPA Recognizes IBM for Climate Change Leadership

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IBM (NYSE: IBM) today was recognized for its supply chain leadership by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). IBM was presented with a 2013 Climate Leadership Award in Washington, D.C. by the EPA, the Association of Climate Change Officers, the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, and The Climate Registry.

IBM was cited for its ambitious emissions reduction goals, and for being at the leading edge of setting requirements for suppliers to measure, disclose and reduce their operational greenhouse gas emissions.

The Climate Leadership Award is a national program that recognizes exemplary corporate, organizational and individual leadership in response to climate change. This year's recipients, who come from the public and private sectors, have demonstrated leadership in managing and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in internal operations and through the supply chain as well as integrating climate resilience into their operating strategies.

"I commend IBM for leading by example with the company's outstanding actions to help reduce carbon pollution," said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Air and Radiation. "IBM and all our Climate Leadership Award winners are tackling the challenge of climate change with practical, common sense and cost-effective solutions to improve efficiency and cut waste."

"For IBM, environmental leadership is essential to building a smarter planet," said Wayne Balta, IBM Vice President, Corporate Environmental Affairs and Product Safety. "We are always looking for ways to improve environmental performance throughout the company, including supply chain management that advance sustainability."

IBM is committed to doing business with environmentally responsible suppliers. In 2010, the company communicated a new set of requirements to its "first-tier" suppliers -- those firms with which IBM holds a direct commercial relationship – requiring them to establish and sustain a management system to address their corporate and environmental responsibilities. Specifically, suppliers are required to:

Define, deploy, and sustain a management system that addresses corporate responsibility, including supplier conduct and environmental protection

Measure performance and establish quantifiable environmental goals

Publicly disclose results associated with these environmental goals and other environmental aspects of their management system

Cascade these requirements to their own suppliers

IBM's sustainability initiatives go well beyond its corporate practices. Most recently, IBM is collaborating with the University of Michigan's Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise, together with the World Environment Center, on a program that offers graduate students opportunities to work with leading global companies while pursuing their studies in sustainability development. The program, called the Erb/WEC Fellowships, is a part of IBM's efforts to develop next-generation skills and real-life learning opportunities for tomorrow's workforce.